Journey
by KnittingVamp7
Summary: O/S for MsKathy's Haiti Compilation. In a diner in Arizona, an unexpected friendship is forged on the way to Phoenix. First impressions aside, things are revealed that make Edward wonder who he got into a car with. B/E, Jake too, nothing dark, lemon-free.


**First and foremost, I want to thank the readers who donated money to relief in Haiti, as this one-shot was written for your generosity. A big thank you to mskathy and manyafandom for putting the entire thing together and getting it out to all of the readers and authors who contributed, and thanks to mskathy for letting us post one day early for fan appreciation. This one-shot was called "Don't Stop Believing" in the Haiti compilation, but I wasn't happy with that title, so I renamed here.**

**Secondly, I want to thank ALL of my readers who have ever read anything I've posted here. Thank you for reading, for reviewing, for the PMs asking if I was alive, the recc's to other fans, the followers on Twitter. Though I take forever to update anything, you guys are there to keep me going and I appreciate EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. In the scary world of publishing your hobby for everyone to see, you guys make it all worthwhile and take the fear away. YOU are the ones that keep the fanfic world spinnin'. :)**

**Thanks to my beta queen, Feisty Y. Beden, for going through list last minute, even though it was her birthday.**

**Twilight and it's characters are not mine. This story is mine, so don't steal it.**

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The road from Forks, Washington, to Phoenix, Arizona, was long and boring. The scenery had turned from lush, moist green, into grassy flatlands, golden wheat fields, and finally given way to dry desert that had given up its will to grow more than cacti and the occasional brush.

Bella Swan passed the miles between point A and point B singing along to the radio and talking to Jake, her best friend and potted Carolina Breeze hibiscus plant. Jake was the perfect companion; he was a great listener and never offered impossible-to-execute advice. He accompanied her on every road trip, whether it was going from the University of Washington campus in Seattle to her dad's house in Forks, or on this particular trip, which she took at least one time a year, to visit her mom in Phoenix.

"Don't stop believin'," she wailed along with Journey, the wind blowing through the open windows of her fifty-year-old truck and tangling her brown hair. "Hold on to that fee-eelin'! Don't stop believin', whoa-ohh-OHHHH!" She trailed off with giggles.

She looked over at the cheerful orange blossoms on Jake. "Sorry, Jake, I know I don't have the best of singing voices, but road trips demand it at some point."

Jake's silence could be taken as disagreement about her singing skills, and Bella took it as such.

He'd never put her down for anything she did, and that's why she liked him. He was the strong, silent type, and his male ego didn't mind being called "pretty". Bella took the utmost care of him, watering him according to the information she'd found on the Internet and wiping his leaves daily to keep dust from dulling their shine. Right now he was sitting on a flat pillow to level him on the seat so one side of him didn't get crushed, and he was lovingly buckled in so he wouldn't fly anywhere if Bella's driving got too wild.

"So the plan is to drive until dinner time, find a place to eat and sleep for the night, and we should roll into Phoenix tomorrow sometime around lunch," she said. Jake was cheerful with the plans, his silent exuberance over being in another new place evident. "Yeah, I know it'll be another crappy motel, but that's part of the charm of this trip, right?"

They traveled another two hours in silence before Bella decided it was dinnertime. She pulled into another diner, Bella's interest piqued by the sign boasting the best chili cheese fries in all of Arizona. She had a weakness for good junk food, and chili cheese fries certainly didn't top the healthy eats list. She parked next to a slick looking, newer model silver Volvo and felt bad that the dust her truck kicked up would sully the shiny finish. There weren't any other cars in the lot.

She made sure to leave both windows down a bit to let the air flow through so Jake wouldn't feel stifled while she ate. She'd contemplated taking him into the diner with her, but hadn't wanted to look crazy in public. She preferred to save the crazy for private, where the only one to judge her was Jake himself.

She stepped into the cool air of the diner and inhaled the smell of burgers, grease, and bleach cleaner. The place looked clean enough, and the lady behind the counter gave her a perky smile. Bella chose a booth by the window so she could keep an eye on her truck. Her bags were in the back of her truck, and even though she was in the middle of nowhere, she couldn't shake the habit of making sure no one stole her stuff. Seattle had caused that habit, and she felt better safe than sorry.

"Yes, I'm at Mel's Diner off of I-10 East in Arizona. Just outside of Ehrenburg," Bella heard a man's voice say. She looked to see who the owner of the voice was—a man around her age standing by the counter. He was pretty darned cute in her opinion, bronze hair, incredible bone structure, lovely fingers that raked through his hair in what appeared to be frustration.

"I understand it will take time, and I understand the cost of towing it to Phoenix. I can handle that, yes. Are you certain that you can have another rental to me this evening? Can you call me when the car is on its way so I know how long the wait will be? All right, thank you. Yes. Goodbye." He ended the call and let out a breath. He was dressed in grey trousers and a white button-down, black tie loose around his neck. His shiny, fancy shoes had a coating of dust on them, but he had bigger worries than his shoes.

"You look like you've had a bad day," Bella spoke up, offering the stranger a smile. She wasn't usually so bold, but she was having a good day and wanted to offer the stranger something, if only some company while he waited.

"Yes, my car started overheating, and I pulled in here. I tried to restart it, and nothing happened. I have to have it towed to Phoenix for repairs because I'm due to a medical conference there tomorrow afternoon and need the rental to get there," he replied, running those fantastic fingers through his hair again.

"Would you like to join me for dinner, have some company to take your mind off of your troubles?" she asked, blushing a little at being so forward. She gestured to the seat across from her. "It's no problem, really. I don't bite."

He gave her a small smile, making her heart stutter. "I probably wouldn't mind if you did." He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. "Jesus. I'm sorry; the stress must be getting to me. Yes, thanks, I'd love to join you for dinner. It will help make the wait go by faster." He slid into the booth and offered his hand. "I'm Edward."

"Bella," she replied, shaking his hand. It was warm and soft. "Nice to meet you. So you're a doctor, huh?"

"Yes. Pediatrics." She could see his eyes were green, reminding her of the lushness of the Forks she'd left behind.

"Oh, that's fun. What's the conference in Phoenix about?"

"Just how to improve your practice so that the kids aren't terrors and parents feel comfortable bringing them to you without flipping out with every cough and sniffle," he said, shrugging. "It's supposed to give you help on gaining more credibility with parents and keep them from self-diagnosing their kids because they don't trust you."

"Fun. I bet that's a hard thing for doctors, having parents and patients tell you your job," Bella said.

"A bit. What do you do? Where are you headed?" he asked.

"I'm a student, doing my masters in classical literature up at the University of Washington. I'm on my way to Phoenix, too, to visit my mom for her birthday," she replied. "Classes finished last week, and I try to see her at least for her birthday, so I've been taking a road trip down in my ancient truck, taking my time to see some of the country."

The lady from behind the counter came over and offered menus with a wink and smile for the both of them. Her hair was blonde and coiffed up, her face showing years in age, but lots of laughter in the lines around her kind blue eyes."Can I get you two something to drink while you look at the menu?"

"Coke, please," they both answered, chuckling at their verbal jinx.

"You bet," the waitress—Janice, according to her nametag—said and walked away.

"Wow. That's your truck? The old one that looks like it used to be red?" he asked, smiling and pointing to Bella's truck.

"Yes. My dad bought it for me back in high school from a friend, and I have another friend who's managed to keep it running for me all these years." She smiled back. "I say a prayer every time I get in that it'll keep going for me." She looked at her truck, then the shiny silver car she'd parked next to. "Is the Volvo yours?"

"Yes." He grimaced, thinking about how it had broken down. "I was taking a road trip myself, taking some time off, trying to relax instead of dealing with airline headaches. Looks like I got a headache anyway."

His face became thoughtful for a minute. "You said University of Washington? In Seattle?" She nodded. "What a coincidence. I work at Seattle General." His expression brightened, and he smiled, comfortable that maybe she wasn't so much of a stranger if they traveled from the same place.

"That's pretty freaky, us meeting in the same place, both headed to Phoenix, both road tripping from Seattle." She narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Are you a stalker and pretending you're a doctor to throw me off?"

He laughed a real laugh. He liked her humor. "Yeah, you caught me." She laughed back.

Janice brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Neither had even glanced at the menu, so Bella skimmed it before ordering a chicken sandwich, and Edward did the same, ordering a plain burger and fries. They both handed their menus in sheepishly, realizing they had gotten into their own little bubble. Bella asked for a cup of water to go, no ice, and a plastic spoon while they waited. Janice brought it back, and Bella jumped up.

"Gotta feed Jake; I'll be right back," she explained. She went out the door and to the passenger side of her truck. Edward could see her talking to something, but there was no one in the car. No dog jumped up in the seat when she opened the door; nothing moved but Bella. She reached for something under the seat, dumped something into the water, and used the plastic spoon to stir it while she chatted happily away to whatever.

Edward seriously began to wonder if the girl was off her rocker. She was cute, all brown hair and eyes, pretty skin, funny and charming. Of course she had to be crazy, talking to herself. Anyone that great couldn't be perfect, and Edward couldn't be so lucky to find perfect.

He looked on as she poured the mixture on something in the passenger seat, and he looked harder. A plant. She was watering her plant. She must have mixed in some plant food and was just watering it. Not quite so bad, knowing she was talking to something, though talking to a plant wasn't too far above talking to thin air. When she was finished, she threw the cup away in the trash can outside before coming back in and sitting back down across from Edward.

"You named your plant Jake?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Nice. Do you talk to him often?"

"All the time. He's my best friend," she answered, upping the crazy quotient in Edward's mental tally. "He's a great listener; I don't have many friends in Seattle. I know it's silly, but it's comforting. And talking to plants is good for them. Helps them grow."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Okay, he stopped trying to figure out how crazy she was. He was too tired for that kind of math.

Thankfully Janice brought out their food. Edward and Bella chatted and got to know each other a little better over dinner. He found out that she'd gotten her bachelor's in English from UDub and continued on into her masters in classical literature. She clearly loved to read and declared Jane Austen her favorite author, though she enjoyed many others, classical and contemporary. Her taste in music was eclectic, ranging from Journey to Debussy, Glass to Muse. She learned that he'd always wanted to be a doctor, and that his father, also a doctor, inspired and encouraged him, though he didn't demand his son follow in his footsteps. His taste in music almost matched hers, though he preferred Clapton to Journey most days.

It was two hours before they emerged from each other's lives, realizing the sky was getting a little darker, painting the desert landscape in reds and oranges. Edward frowned. "I wonder what's taking the towing place so long. And the car rental place, for that matter." By mysterious cosmic cue, his phone rang, and Edward recognized the car rental phone number. He gave Bella an apologetic look before answering.

"Hello? Yes, this is he. A problem?" His brow furrowed. "What the hell am I supposed to do? I need to _be_ in Phoenix by tomorrow afternoon, not leaving the middle of nowhere _for_ Phoenix by then. There's nothing you can do?" He listened for a few minutes as the clerk apologized profusely and promised him the rental car would be free as soon as their system was up and running, which wouldn't be until the next morning at the earliest. He took deep breaths to keep from going ballistic on the clerk, who couldn't help the fail of her company's technology. "Thank you. I'll get to Phoenix somehow. I understand. Call me as soon as you can tomorrow, and we'll figure it out from there." He ended the call and let out a groan.

"Bad to worse," he muttered.

"I'm sorry," Bella offered. "I could take you there. I'm not in any particular hurry."

"No, I couldn't impose."

"Edward, I offered. I clearly want to help."

"Maybe." He spotted a tow truck pulling into the diner lot and perked up. Maybe he could hitch a ride with the tow guy. He saw someone in the passenger seat and didn't know if he could stomach a trip sandwiched between two men all the way to Phoenix. "Hang on, I'll be right back. I think they're finally here for my car."

Bella watched as he went out to speak with the tow truck driver. He looked to be pleading at first, probably asking for a ride, then looked dejected. The driver looked apologetic, and Edward nodded. He looked on with a sad expression as his car was hooked up to the truck. She watched him hand over a credit card and grab a suitcase and garment bag from the trunk, betting the driver it was calling in the massive towing fee. Once the credit card was handed back, they parted ways, and Edward watched his car ride off into the sunset. He came back in and sat back down, setting the garment bag on the seat next to him and leaving the suitcase by him on the floor.

"Uh, I guess I'll need that ride, if that's okay?" he asked, feeling foolish.

"It is. I'm going to stay at a motel a couple of miles up the road, but we can get up early enough so I can get you to your conference in time. It's only a couple of hours away, but I've driven so much today that I don't want to risk it tonight. Sound fine?" she asked.

He looked doubtfully at her truck before looking at her. "If your truck can make it, then yes."

Bella rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine. I have AAA if we don't. Like a certain someone should have had." She raised an eyebrow at him with a grin. He had the sense to look sheepish.

"I got busy and forgot to renew."

She laughed, and they went about paying their bills before heading out to Bella's truck. Edward gave one last forlorn look to the space his car had occupied while he placed his luggage in the bed of the truck.

"All right, Jake, we gotta make room for Edward here. He's our riding buddy 'til we get to Phoenix," she murmured to the plant, unbuckling it and scooting it toward the middle, putting him back on his pillow and buckling him back in. Edward stayed silent but kept trying to tally whether her crazy might involve him ending up dead in the desert.

Her smile for him once the passenger seat was free and clear assuaged his fear enough that he climbed in without protest. They made idle conversation on the way to the motel a few miles away, and Bella got a good laugh at Edward's expression when he saw how seedy the motel looked. Once she convinced him that he wouldn't die from spending one night in a less-than-five-star motel, they checked in at the office. Edward about died when they had to take a room together because one of the two buildings of rooms was being routinely fumigated and the other building, which housed four "suites" had occupants in three of them. Bella rolled her eyes and took the key from the clerk.

Once they parked closer to their door and grabbed their stuff from the truck, Edward, ever a gentleman, opened the door and let Bella in first. She managed to get Jake set on the battered dresser before she unceremoniously dropped her backpack on the floor. Edward locked the door once he was inside and hung his suit in the closet—after close inspection for critters—and got his toiletries set up in the bathroom, grumbling the entire time about the germ farm the entire room was and how he hoped he didn't catch anything.

Bella dampened a washcloth and began wiping down Jake's leaves. She took this time at the end of every day to unwind and let out everything that happened in her day. She spoke quietly, but Edward heard the occasional word. It sounded like she was talking about their day, dinner, Edward himself, her mom, and something about a home. His irritation that had built up all day, from traffic to his car breaking down to staying in the dump of a motel finally came to a head, and he took it out on the only other person around: Bella.

"Why the hell do you talk to a plant? He can't talk back, and you look ridiculous and crazy doing it. You're five cats short of ending up in the crazy people home," he scathed from the bathroom doorway. "He's just a fucking plant, not a person.

She grew still. Taking a deep breath, she cut him a sharp look. "Yes, Edward, I know Jake is just a plant, but it's the only thing I have that I can rely on. He won't leave me, he doesn't judge me, doesn't talk back to me or tell me I'm wrong or stupid. I can talk to him and just know that he's listening, which is more than I can say for you or for anyone else I've come across in my life. My father showed his disappointment in me because I wasn't the son he always wanted. My mother didn't listen to me one night, and now she's in a convalescent home because she can't remember from one minute to the next what she needs to do to live from day to day because she partied too hard and decided she was okay enough to drive. And now you're judging me for talking to a plant because it seems crazy. Yeah, it's crazy, but it's good for both of us. Plants respond to being talked to, and I have something that will just listen to me without offering annoying, useless advice, or telling me I'm five cats short of crazy."

She threw the towel down next to Jake and grabbed the key from the bed where Edward had tossed it, slamming the door behind her as she stepped outside.

Edward ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He felt like a royal dick for talking to her that way. He didn't know much about her life, but he knew she was attached to Jake, and he appreciated her quirkiness. He could admit he was a tad jealous that she was so open to life while he preferred routine and things done specific ways. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down so he could apologize, and stepped out to find Bella.

He didn't have to go far, since she was sitting on the door to the bed of her truck. He heard her sniffle a couple of times and felt even worse for making her cry. He walked back to where she was and carefully perched next to her.

"Careful, you'll get rust on your pretty pants," she muttered thickly.

"Bella, I'm so sorry for what I said in there. My day was royal shit, and I took it out on you. I heard you talking to Jake, and I guess I felt a little jealous that you had someone, something, to talk to and I didn't. It was childish, and I'm sorry." He slowly reached out and touched the back of her hand with his fingers. Her hand was warm and soft, and he curled his fingers around hers because he enjoyed the connection.

"It's okay," she said, squeezing his hand. "Every time I come to see my mom is rough. It just reminds me of what happened and I wish I could go back and just… change things."

"Do you want to talk about it? Would that help?"

She shrugged. "Nothing would really help. My parents are divorced. Dad lives in Washington; Mom lives here in Phoenix. I used to live with Mom full time and visit Dad in the summers until she remarried my freshman year of high school. Then I went to live with Dad and visited Mom in summers because she traveled with her new husband—Phil, he's a semi-pro baseball player. One night we went to some party for his team. Phil and Mom fought on the way there, and my mom got trashed to spite him or something. She wanted to leave before Phil was ready, but she was in no condition. I tried to reason with her, tried to get her to sober up, but she wouldn't listen. She ran into a tree head on about halfway home, hit her head hard enough that her short term memory is affected. She remembers all of us, most of her life before the accident, but she has a hard time functioning day to day. If she cooks, she forgets something's on the stove and could burn the house down; she obviously can't drive. We had to move her into an assisted living facility where people take care of her. I just feel guilty that I couldn't stop her, that she wouldn't listen to her own daughter, and now she's not the fun, independent woman she used to be." She swiped away fresh tears. "I know it's silly to be guilty for something out of my control, but sometimes I can't help it."

He squeezed her hand again. "You're right; it's not your fault. I'm sorry that happened to your mom, and that she made that choice and it hurt the people who loved her." He took a deep breath and looked around, noticing the sky was darkening and stars were starting to pop out in sky. _So many more stars than I'd see in Seattle,_ he thought. "You're seeing her tomorrow?"

"Day after. I have a couple of things to get her, a couple of presents I want her to have, but I want to get settled in Phoenix before I see her."

"I could, um, go with you, if you wanted. For support?" He felt awkward asking to intrude on her private pain, but he wanted to help her somehow.

"Oh, no. I didn't tell you to guilt you into coming or something," she replied, surprised. "Gosh, no. You have your conference thing. I appreciate it, but no, thank you."

"The important conference stuff is tomorrow," he replied, "And I'm not offering because I feel guilty. I just want to help a friend, the way she's helped me, and be there for her in her time of need."

She gave him a watery smile. "I'd like you to be there. That would be really nice. Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, glad he could step out of his petty troubles to help a stranger, a new friend he never thought he'd make.

They enjoyed the night in silence, taking in the quiet and the stars and each other's company before deciding to call it a night. They decided that they could share the bed, Edward on top of the covers and Bella under. Edward gave Bella a good laugh when he pulled out one of those sleeping sacks that people could use so they didn't touch hotel sheets while they slept. They whispered to each other in the dark, secrets they felt comfortable sharing with their newfound camaraderie, before slipping into sleep.

They got an early start the next day, eating breakfast at the same diner they'd had dinner in before heading off to Phoenix. Their conversation was light and happy, free of tension and stress for the three-hour trip to the city, Jake happily listening from in between them. Edward gave Bella directions to the hotel where the conference was held, using his phone's GPS program. They laughed over how her truck didn't fit in with the shiny sedans and sports cars that were pulling into the drop-off, and Bella said her truck had much more character.

Edward leaned over, mindful of Jake between them, and briefly kissed her cheek before opening the passenger door. "Thank you so much, Bella. I'll call you when I'm done here today, and we'll finalize tomorrow, okay?" He pulled out his phone and punched in her number as she recited it to him.

"You bet. Thank you so much, Edward." She smiled and stroked his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

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**That's that. Review if you like, don't worry if you don't. :) This is for you.**


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